Pokemon: The Other Side of the Pokeball
by Tejina Kyousei
Summary: Watch a Pokemon's anguish from her point of view, and see a Trainer in a whole new light.


**Pokemon: The Other Side of the Pokeball**

So, there I was.

Enjoying the sunshine, frolicking with my brothers and sisters, my parents watching us from atop the hill as they munched on the grasses.

Life was great, and I thought those days would go on forever.

Oh, how I was wrong.

* * *

When _it_ appeared, it was out of nowhere. My back was turned, going to catch up to my family who had moved across the valley for better grazing. The grass here was tall enough to obscure my vision, but was difficult to eat. I heard a noise behind me, but thought little of it-there were very few predators that could take me down.

My memories of that day are so clear.

The setting sun, painting the horizon crimson gold.

The gentle breeze, stirring the grass, an emerald sea.

The feel of the earth beneath my hooves.

And suddenly, a voice unlike I'd heard ever before. It was loud, dissonant, a raucous sound shattering the peaceful evening. My family turned towards me. My parents cried out. I knew it was behind me. I whirled, preparing for battle.

It was...something I'd never seen before.

It looked like Aipom, but a lot more long-limbed and without a tail. It was staring at me, a vicious look in its eyes.

With a blinding flash of light, a Geodude suddenly appeared before me. I backed up instinctively, confused and afraid.

"Hello, sir," I said, a slight quiver in my voice. "What are you doing so far away from your home?"

"This," he said, nodding towards the _thing_, "is my master." He spat the words, quite a feat for something made out of rock. "I wish this didn't have to happen to you, young one."

"What-what do you mean?" My voice rose in panic, and I could hear my parents running towards me.

"This _human_ chained me to him," Geodude said with a grimace.

"I thought that was a tale to keep us out of the...grass..."

My eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," Geodude said, with a pained look on his face.

"-Tackle!" the human cried, and Geodude winced. I could tell he was trying not to hurt me, but his face contorted with pain and he struck me. I fell to the ground, stunned.

"Lusea!"

My parents cried my name.

"Stay back!" the Geodude cried. "Lest you meet the same fate, or worse!"

"No! Leave her alone! Let her go!" My mother's pleas fell upon the human's deaf ears. They suddenly came to a halt, as if an invisible barrier had been erected.

"What the Misdreavus is this?" my father roared, battering the air with his horns. "Why can we not pass?"

The Geodude looked rather surprised as well. "This is the first time I have encountered this, but I have not been chained for too long as of yet."

I stood weakly, swaying from the attack. I attempted to paralyze Geodude, trying to stop this senseless attack, but it did nothing. He simply absorbed the electricity.

"-Rock Throw!"

Geodude scooped up a handful of rocks, throwing them at me. He scattered them enough that I could dodge most of them, but a large one hit me in the side. I collapsed, writhing in pain.

"-Tackle!"

I didn't even have a chance to stand up. I saw Geodude's fists above me, a look of sorrow etched into his gravelly face. I waited for the end.

Instead, I saw a sphere tossed at me, and a brilliant white light flashed. I was suddenly in a dark, cramped space. I flailed, trying to escape, but it pressed down upon me. Already weakened, I heard my elder brother's voice echo as my world spiralled away.

"I'll find you, Lucea! I promise!"

* * *

I awoke with a jolt, pain wracking my body. It was dark, and I tried to stand. I was too weak, and collapsed with exhaustion.

"Aw, it's only level 10."

I heard the voice that had shattered my peaceful life, but it sounded so far away.

"May as well head to the Pokemon Center. I'll need it pretty quick."

I'll admit it. I gave up. I had no idea what was going on, or where I was going, or where my family was. I lay quietly, praying for someone, _anyone_, to save me.

Of course, salvation did not come.

Instead, there was another blinding light (they seemed to enjoy searing our eyes with pain) and I felt something sharp prick my skin. I suddenly relaxed, feeling my body go limp, mildly curious as to what _that_ was, but I soon fell asleep. I could feel electricity building around me, and felt as though I was surrounded by my family. It was a small reassurance that maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

When I awoke that time, there was no pain at all. Though I was afraid, I at least felt better, which was certainly an improvement. I sat up, looking around, and was disheartened by what I saw.

A terrible rendering of my home was all around me. I was in a spherical room, with no exit that I could see. There was thin, sparse grass at my feet, mostly dirt and pebbles, and a small pond filled with murky water. I tottered towards the pond as if I were a newborn, legs wobbling from the shock of what had transpired.

My thirst slaked, I proceeded to explore my strange, confining surroundings. I trotted around what I assumed was the room, and it was quite small. Nowhere near as lush, open, or beautiful as my home.

I wondered where I was, and what was going on. I sat there for quite some time, unsure of what to do.

"H-hello?" I called out, my voice trembling. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Ah, it's a new one." A voice floated through the walls. "Hello there, dear. What's your name?"

"Lucea."

"I see, I see. You must be confused." The voice was gentle. "My name is Syyu. I'm a Goldeen. What be your race?"

"I-I'm a Mareep," I said, tears rising to my eyes. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You were caught," an energetic voice echoed. "I'm Yili, a Marill!"

I smiled, thinking of the mischevious Pokemon who would tease my family, squirting water at us before disappearing beneath the waves. They seemed oblivious to the fact that their tails could float.

"Caught? I heard Geodude say chained." I paced nervously before realizing that I was trampling grass, then moved into a more barren area. "Is there a difference?"

"It depends on your point of view, I suppose," Syyu said ponderously. "Though the methods the human uses can certainly chain us down."

I was going to ask more questions, but was suddenly ripped out of my new environment. I stood, dazed and confused, in a field with a flock of Spearow.

"What attacks do you know...?"

I heard the voice that had caused me so much pain in such a (what I assumed was) a short amount of time. It was a human, the monster that I had been warned about since I was a small sheep.

It was huge, towering over me, and I realized there were _more_ of them in the distance. I panicked, and the Spearow looked over their shoulders. They calmly flew away, as if this kind of thing was a regular occurence, and I envied their easy escape.

"Tackle, Thunder Wave, Thundershock..."

It's voice hurt my ears. I wondered what it was talking about, these strange words that I could suddenly understand. The changes were making my head spin.

"Huh. I may as well start training her."

I jumped at that word. That...that did not sound good.

The human knelt down, staring at me with big blue eyes. It reached out and I panicked, letting loose a small jolt of static electricity. It said a word I am not supposed to repeat, and jerked its hand back.

"Shows you," I said with a small amount of glee, but it simply grabbed my horns, making me stare at its face.

"No. Bad Mareep." It gave my head a gentle shake, and I wished I could bite its fingers. It was treating me like I was a lamb.

I glared at it, but it just laughed in its harsh voice and held out the red sphere I had seen before this whole mess started. I was suddenly dragged away, and thrown back into my "new home".

"What the Heracross was that?" I said, trying to get my bearings. "Is it always like that?"

"That's what happens when she calls us." Syyu's voice was sympathetic. "We are..."

She trailed off.

"I do not want you to know of this, not yet."

Yili's voice was bouncing, as I assumed she was.

"You have other neighbours, too, but they're not the talkative type," Yili chattered. "There's Delar, a Rattata, but he's sulking. Who else is here, Syyu?"

"Who else? You mean there's more? How many of us did it...she...capture?"

"I'm not sure, but I think the count was about forty last time I was out. My name is Arran. I'm of the Spinarak race."

"Forty?!" I squeaked. "She has to be a criminal!"

"Apparently that's the norm," Yili said sagely. "I've heard rumors where humans have over one hundred."

I sat down abruptly. "That...that's horrible. Are your places as bad as mine?"

"Probably," Arran sighed. "It's certainly less than ideal living conditions."

"How long have you been in here?" I was suddenly curious. It seemed I was in this for the long haul, so I may as well learn as much as I could.

"Long enough to revel in the chances I have outside," Arran said dryly. I heard Syya's gentle laughter,

"I see. Well, I hope to get along with you all," I said. My mother taught me manners make the world flow smoothly.

"Who knows, next time you wake up there may be new neighbours," Yili said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Wait, what?" I looked around, confused. "I still don't know where you're talking from. New neighbours?"

"It depends on what kind of mood the human is in," Arran explained patiently. "Sometimes she decides to have other Pokemon on her belt, which is what allows us to communicate with each other."

"What happens if you're not on her belt?" I said, trepidation in my voice.

They were all silent, and fear crept over me.

"It's hell," Yili whispered, and that scared me more than anything had so far.

"It's absolute, deafening silence. Nothing. No outside noise, no one to talk to. Just emptiness." Arran's voice trembled at the memory.

"That's horrible," I said, curling into a ball. My wool rubbed together, creating electricity, and I laid there with it reminding me of home for a long, long time.

* * *

I was suddenly outside again, this time on a road. Another human was in front of me, with a Pidgey poised to attack.

"Agh!" I shrieked, dodging its swoop. "What's going on?!"

"We're battling, idiot," the Pidgey said with derision. "One of us wins."

"Battling? What? Why?"

"Because they said so!" He cawed, diving at me again, and pecked my body with a desperation borne of fear.

"Mareep, use Thunder Wave!"

The human's voice rang through my body. I wanted desperately to dodge, to avoid this confrontation, but my head was suddenly filled with pressure.

I let out the static from my wool, the arc connecting with the Pidgey. He hit the ground, twitching, defiance in his eyes.

"Use Thundershock!" my human cried.

Again, I tried to back away, but the pressure increased until it was near screaming agony. I had to release it!

I killed the Pidgey.

Or at least I thought I did.

I later learned that I had simply knocked him unconscious, but...

Seeing him on the ground, unmoving, terrified me.

What had I become?

I had never had any reason to attack others. We were peaceful Pokemon.

Why was I being forced to fight?

I just wanted to go back to my family.

Was that so wrong?

The battle was over, apparently, because the other human handed my human some money and trudged off dejectedly.

I suddenly felt a jolt of power go through my body, surprising me. I yelped as the human pulled out some sort of red book.

"Oh, you can learn a new skill," she said, a grin on her face. "Cotton Spore? May as well."

I shuddered, feeling part of me dissolve. I had forgotten something, something important, but now I suddenly knew how to use spores to my advantage.

Or her advantage, I guess.

I was back in my home before I knew it. I was tired, and sore, and horrified at what had happened.

"Ah. I was hoping it would be a while before you were put into battle," Syyu said with a sigh of regret. "The first one is always the hardest."

"You mean I have to do that _again_?" I said, aghast. "I _killed_ him! I'm a murderer!" I laid on the ground, unsure of what to do. It all seemed so unreal.

"He's not dead," Arran said boredly. "You just knocked him out. I'm sure his human took him to a Pokemon Center."

"Which is...?"

"The place where they make your wounds go away," Yili chirped. "A needle and something nice."

"Is that the pokey thing? Felt like a Weedle prodded me." I frowned, thinking back to when I was...caught.

It was an ugly word.

I saw why Geodude used the word chained.

"What was his name, anyway?" I wondered aloud.

"Whose name?"

"There was a Geodude that fought me." I paused, thinking. "Is he here?"

"Good question. Oi, Ruye, are you here?" Yili's voice echoed loudly around my sphere.

"Indeed." The gravelly voice sounded far away. "Is that the new Mareep?"

"Hello, sir," I squeaked. "My name is Lucea."

"Ruye. Sorry about the whole knock-out thing," he said apologetically.

"It's okay, I understand now," I said bitterly. "That really hurts, doesn't it?"

"Yes. It doesn't get any better, unfortunately," Syyu said quietly. "She also controls what you know."

"I noticed that," I said quickly. "How...what happens with that?"

"I don't know. Nor does anyone else I've spoken with. Although it seems when we win in battle, we're rewarded with power." Arran paused, and I thought of the surge I'd felt at the end of the battle.

"That's scary," I said quietly. "I don't like this."

"Some of us don't. Most of us, however, have embraced the lifestyle, learning to cope with it." Ruye's voice was tinged with regret.

"That seems like a terrible thing to get used to," I murmured. "I'm tired...I think I'm going to sleep."

"Sweet dreams, little one," Syyu said softly, and I dreamt of the fields of home.

* * *

Unfortunately I, too, got used to the conditions in which I was forced to live. I battled, and grew in power. There were times in which I was locked away, and that was a horrible, sanity-destroying experience. It was exactly as they had described.

It was as if the whole outside world had just dropped out from beneath my feet. My Pokeball, as I found out it was called, was resting on nothing, and yet I did not roll, no matter how I moved. It was silent, so silent that I kept calling out to make sure I hadn't gone deaf. The conditions in which I was kept did not improve.

I was subjected to the terrifying "skill learning" more and more often, losing parts of myself that had kept me grounded. I began to doubt what was going on, who I was, and where I had come from. The human called me "Mareep", and more than once I had to remind myself that I had a name, that I was not some simple-minded lamb that had no identity.

And then...it changed.

_I _changed.

It was...the most terrible, most painful, most soul-shattering thing I had ever felt.

After a burst of power from a battle, I suddenly felt ill. As if my whole body was suddenly, impossibly, sick.

It hurt. Oh Lugia, it _hurt_. My body felt like it was being ripped apart, like I was being remade in the most painful way possible. It felt as if my limbs were being torn off, one by one, to be replaced by new, foreign parts. I collapsed, more than once, during this event, but it continued on.

Then, suddenly, it was over. I stood, swaying, and glanced down.

I was _pink_.

I was also standing like a two-legger, and I had wool on my head and around my neck, like a collar. I felt naked, vulnerable.

My tail lit up, and I shot a bolt of electricity out in front of me. I was surprised at the force; it knocked me over like a Skiploom on a windy day.

I then realized that I was still a four-legger, but had two-legger balance when need be.

I was exhausted, and thankfully was put back into my Pokeball where I collapsed.

I learned that I was not the only one to go through that hellish change.

"Evolution", the humans called it.

"Torture," we called it.

And on and on it went.

* * *

I stopped seeing Syyu and Arran. I never actually met Delar, but Ruye remained my companion. We always seemed to be together, which was a small refuge in this dark world. I began to loathe this endless cycle of battling. I was knocked out, only to come to after being pricked by that damnable needle. Sometimes, it was more than thrice a day.

Those days were horrible. So much pain, only to be revived and forced to fight again.

I grew bitter, but was forced to obey my human's will.

I wanted out.

* * *

At one point, I "evolved" again. It was still the same body-destroying process as before, but after I was done the human looked at me, nodded to herself, and then...

...she put me in that non-existing place, that "computer".

And I've been in there ever since.


End file.
